TEXT: The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 13: 24-43



[Thoughts for the homilist --  Last Sunday we heard the parable of the sower that went forth to sow the message of the Kingdom of God, the Reign of God!  The Reign of God is mentioned 51 times in Matthew’s Gospel.  This Kingdom is that of the followers of Jesus, the people of God, the Church, the New Testament.  There is weakness in this kingdom, imperfections too, yet, there is strength available through the King, Jesus.

The mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven that follow last Sunday’s  add more light to the parable of the sower (Jesus) who went forth to sow the Gospel of the Kingdom of the Reign of God, the Heavens.  These passages are:

The wheat and the tares (darnel) -- Mt. 13:24-30 an 36-43 (explained) -- today’s Gospel
The mustard tree -- Mt. 13:31-32
The leaven -- Mt. 13:33
The hid treasure -- Mt 13:44
The pearl -- Mt. 13:45-46
The drag net -- 13:47-48

In context  --  These examples are followed in Matthew’s Gospel  by the Death of St. John the Baptist (a type of tribulation, trial, for the faithful) and other important events that lead up to Sty. Peter’s Great Confession of Faith (Matthew 16:13-18)
ALL of these are linked to the Kingdom of Heaven theme that shows the action of the King, our Lord Jesus Christ in the here and now, as well as the eschatological view.
Just note the progression as the Holy Spirit leads each of you in your study.
God bless you in Jesus and this through the intercession of Maria...-- "Ronald Barnabas Anthony, Hermit"]



Let us read and comment,

24   Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field;
25 but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.

I live in Montana, where we have many crops and harvests.  This week, the hay has been harvested and many farmers and ranchers are out insuring that the hay will be harvested before the weather changes and makes the hay wet, thereby causing its ruin for sale.  We call this "haying season."  It is hot and dusty, and very backbreaking work, as I can attest.  Martin, a member of this little hermitage community where I live and work, has told me that haying is one of the hardest jobs on earth.

With the hay, many weeds are harvested as part of the whole crop.

27 And the servants of the householder came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?'
28 He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?'
29 But he said, 'No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"

The good and the bad grow together in the Kingdom of Heaven.

God knows the good and the bad.

We cannot fool God.

We must be honest with God, because we cannot hide from God.

The Holy Scriptures and message of the Church calls us (all of us) to repentance and conversion, penance!  The Sacrament of Reconciliation is for us.  The good and the bad will not co-exist in eternity when the Judgment comes.  Judgment must begin in the House of God!

So, this parable tells us of the coming judgment and the present stage of things.  The weeds and the good seeds and crops grow together until the time of the harvest. -- Jesus says, "Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"

This Gospel tells us that you and I must be prepared to repent from our sins (turn away from our sins) and turn completely with Christ (a the Greek word -- met anoia -- means).  Our minds must be changed to bring us into uniformity with the will of God.  Thus, Jesus continues to tell us more.
 
31  Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field;
32 it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."

Indeed, the Kingdom of Heaven has grown immensely with many branches.  The Church is a great institution with many Cardinals, Bishops, clerics and laity.  The people of God are many, and fly all over the world to and from the branches, like the birds in the trees.  I have seen a tree in the midst of a field "black" with the birds in its many branches.  As we approached, the birds flew, "blackening" the sky around the large tree, until they cam to rest on the branches again in the tree.  What a sight!

The scope of the Kingdom of Heaven is universal.  Some of the branches have died and broken off over the years -- and the birds of the air have come to live in those branches.  Some of the branches are holding on for dear life, but, thy are still part of the whole tree -- all from a little seed.

Then,

33   He told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened."

Leaven is yeast.  This causes, as w all know, the bread to rise.

St. Ignatius of Antioch said -- "Put away, therefore, the bad leaven which is old and stale, and be converted into the new leaven which is Jesus Christ.  Be salted in him, lest any of you lose your savor, for by your savor will you be judged.  It is out of place to preach Jesus Christ and practice Judaism."  (St. Ignatius of Antioch: Letter to the Magnesians, 10 2nd century)

We cannot be saved by keeping the Law of Moses.  We are saved by grace through Faith is Jesus Christ.  (cf.  Ephesians 2:8-11)

The new leaven is Jesus Christ.

The Manna of the Wilderness pre-figured (a "type") Jesus, the Bread of life, the (Hebrew -- "matzos") the Bread of Life for us in the wilderness, born in Bethlehem (The House of Bread) of Maria the Mother of God, who is with us (the remnant of her seed) in the wilderness.  (cf. Revelation 12)

The old leaven is sin, dead works, stale and now is the time of the Reign of God in Messiah Jesus!

The Law was our schoolmaster to bring us to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ by and through the grace of God.

It is given to the people of God to understand this truth, for Jesus explains this to us:

34  All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed he said nothing to them without a parable.
35 This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world."
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field."
37 He answered, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of man;
38  the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one,
39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels.
40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age.
41  The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers,
42  and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.
43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

How clearly this explains itself.

How important it is to hear the words of God in their context.

The Holy Scriptures, when taken out of their context -- is a pretext, someone has said.

It is my desire to show the words of God in their context!  Let that be our goal today.

God calls us to repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

We have much to be thankful for, since God has shown us in Mercy, the Way to God in Jesus Christ.

Te Deum

We praise thee, O God: we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
Thee, the eternal Father, all the earth doth worship.
To thee all the angels, to thee the heavens, and all the powers therein:
To thee the cherubim and seraphim with unceasing voice cry aloud:
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of Sabaoth.

(Roman Breviary, Hymn Te Deum, St. Nicetas, 335-415 A.D.)



Deus et Sanctissima.